Stacey Thunder, River Thunder Romero and Robby Romero. United Nations Headquarters in the General Assembly Hall

Catching up with Red Thunder

A long and winding road brings musician, filmmaker, music producer, speaker and activist Robby Romero (Apache/Tewa) back to the forefront of public attention. Founder (in 1989) and leader of the Native rock band Red Thunder, Romero rose to great prominence with his designation as a United Nations Ambassador of Youth for the Environment in 1990, the heavy rotation of his singles on VH1 and MTV in the 1990s, and the worldwide airing of his social- and environmental-themed films (including America’s Last Frontier, Hidden Medicine and Makoce Wakan), He also cultivated professional and personal associations with people ranging from actor Dennis Hopper and musicians Rick Danko (of The Band) and Carlos Santana to Iroquois activist Oren Lyon, U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Lakota musician and actor Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.

Romero and his equally impressive wife, Stacey Thunder (Ojibwe), who is legal counselor to the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe and host of the weekly PBS program Native Report, are now at the helm of Eagle Thunder Entertainment. Working out of Taos, New Mexico and Minnesota, the duo are busy producing albums, both for Romero and for other artists. In late 2007, they released the self-titled CD of the powwow-style, Red Lake–based P Town Boys, and a CD featuring the elder female group The Red Lake Singers is expected in December. “Red Lake Band Chairman Floyd Jourdain asked us to produce these CDs, to preserve the old songs and to stimulate the next generation,” says Romero. “A track on the P Town CD features both groups singing together, which I’m particularly proud of.”

His own new CD, Painting the World, was recently released, and the pair is now producing two videos to accompany specific tracks. The EP features Indigenous artists from around the world to mark the adoption of the United Nation’s Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to raise awareness about global climate change. They are also working on re-editing and expanding their film Native Children Survival: If Not Now, When? If Not You, Who? The title aptly summarizes several of Romero’s core activities: working on behalf of Indigenous youth worldwide through his Native Children’s Survival foundation and prodding his audience to get personally involved in bringing positive change to the world.

“An important missing aspect from the environmental movement is the Indigenous community,” notes Romero. “They aren’t in the forefront, nor is their wisdom being applied. That’s something I hope to help change.”

Most recently, Romero was honored at the dedication of a building at the Sacred Hoop School in Oglala, South Dakota. He contributed a track (his former hit “Heartbeat”), performed on two others and helped produce a CD overseen by German rock star Peter Maffay that featured an international body of musicians. The CD, Encounters: An Alliance for Children, and subsequent live shows, raised millions of dollars in sales; $200,000 was gifted to the school, which focuses on Lakota language preservation.

In addition to their insane schedule, Romero and Thunder are also raising five kids, ranging from a college senior, Dakota, to a two-year-old daughter, Cheyenne. “We’re busy with our family, and loving it,” said the devoted dad in a recent interview at a Santa Fe Starbucks with three kids in tow. “They are precious to us, and we involve them in almost all aspects of our lives.” Details: eaglethunder.com


Haida Culture Honored in New Facility


Clan parade arrives at the Haida Heritage Centre

On Aug. 23, after 15 years of planning and development, the Haida people of British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands—also now known by their Native name of Haida Gwaii—formally opened the Haida Heritage Centre near Skidegate. The facility includes a series of linked longhouses containing a welcome hall, museum, performance space, carving shed and canoe house. In front loom six carved totems facing the bay, evoking an old Haida village.

“Its bold displays and performances tell the story of the past, but also shout to the world of a modern resurgence,” noted one visitor at the grand opening, Vancouver-based journalist Hans Tammemagi. “I was overwhelmed by the excitement and pride of the Haida people. Everyone from toddlers to seniors was outfitted in bright-red button blankets, cedar hats, face paint and masks as they celebrated.”

The day began with a parade of Haida people playing drums and singing as they walked from the centre down to the waterfront to welcome three newly carved Haida canoes. This was followed by the opening ceremony and speeches by a wide range of tribal and federal officials, including Skidegate Band Chief Councillor Willard Wilson, Haida Nation Council President Guujaaw, and Bill Fisher, Parks Canada director general of Western and Northern Canada.

Guests witnessed the unveiling of the “Heart of Canada Pole,” which was carved primarily by Haida artist Reg Davidson with help from 175,000 people in a tour of 15 cities. They also enjoyed dancing, a seafood barbecue and performances of a Haida-language play involving tribal elders and youth. Details: haidaheritagecentre.com or 250/559-7885


Lines

Darlene Gabbard is believed to be the only American Indian to own and operate a winery in the nation; her Native Vines Winery is based in Lexington, North Carolina, where she hand-produces a modest but fine 10,000 gallons a year … The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe has received a $7.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help pay for construction of its new Foundry and Sculpture Center and its new Science and Technology Building, including its New Media Arts Center … The Cook Inlet Historical Society has formally transferred its collection of 2,500 historic and cultural objects and thousands of photos to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center … A Tlingit warrior’s helmet from the late 18th or early 19th century was recently sold at an auction in Connecticut for nearly $2.2 million … A major new source of grants and funding for Indian artists and organizations that support Native arts, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, has been launched with a $10 million endowment from the Ford Foundation and a stellar cast of Indian artist board members … The American Indian Graduate Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the largest national provider of scholarships for Indian grad students, has launched an engaging and helpful new Web site at aigcs.org


Shards

“Winter Protector” painting by Navajo artist Joey Allen, 18”x24,” 2006.

The Southern Ute Tribe of southwestern Colorado broke ground on its new Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum on Aug. 22. The only tribal facility of its kind in the state, it will encompass 53,000 square feet, including space for permanent and temporary exhibitions, a 450-seat theater/media center, classrooms, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, and state-of-the-art storage rooms for the tribe’s precious artifacts. It is expected to open in 2010 in the tribal capital of Ignacio. Jones & Jones Architects of Seattle, led by Johnpaul Jones (Choctaw), designed the facility and grounds.

Language-preservation advocates, students, tribal leaders and other parties will gather in Rapid City, South Dakota at the Ramkota Hotel Nov. 11–13 for the Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Language Summit. Subtitled “Uniting the Seven Council Fires to Save the Language,” the event will kick off with remarks from cultural keeper Arvol Looking Horse and include commentary from Ron His Horse Is Thunder (president of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe), Darrell Kipp (co-founder of the Piegan Institute) and Rosalie Little Thunder (chair of the Seventh Generation Fund). Details: tuswecatiospaye.org

Perhaps the largest public-art commission ever granted to an Indian artist was recently completed in Phoenix. The Isaac Pedestrian Bridge Project, at the intersection of 34th Avenue and McDowell Road, had a budget of $3.8 million (including landscaping). The stunning monumental sculpture was designed by Rosemary Lonewolf (Santa Clara Pueblo), working with Jacobs Engineering.

Yet another important Native-themed film festival has launched in Santa Fe. The inaugural Talking Stick Film Festival, held June 21–26, screened 11 U.S. premieres (including Reservation Soldier by Anishinaabe writer/director Lisa Jackson, Paatuwaqatsi—Water, Land & Life by Hopi director Victor Masayesva and Older Than America by Cree director Georgina Lightning), four world-premiere documentaries, 14 workshops, and screenings of works ranging from animated shorts to feature films. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Canadian Native filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo (James Bay Cree). The event was hosted by the SEED Graduate Institute of Santa Fe and the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs; Karen Redhawk Dallett (Catawba) served as festival director. Details: talkingstickfilmfestival.org

A new water-filtration system developed by BSL Global Water Solutions promises to be a boon to Indian tribes grappling with contaminated water. The modular design, which allows one to add new units as needed, uses dissolved air floatation to remove 95 percent of suspended particles and is effective against giardia and E. coli, say company spokesmen. Several tribes are actively looking into the system. Firm president, Indian art collector Bill Bauchsbaum of Santa Fe, notes, “It’s the most exciting thing I have done, except for my marriage and our pottery collection.” Details: bslwater.com

Painting is far more than pretty marks on a canvas for Joey Allen (Navajo). “Painting has healed my soul, has enabled me to touch other souls and shown me how precious life is,” says the 46-year-old artist. Incarcerated for 16 years, Allen taught himself to paint with acrylics while in prison and is now making a hard but rewarding living as a painter, based in Albuquerque. In October, Dreamscapes Gallery in Albuquerque hosted a show of his work, and on-site commissions for his realistic and mythological works are rolling in. Details: e-mail joeysart5@yahoo.com


Passages

The non-Native author Richard Erdoes passed away on July 16 at his home in Santa Fe. He was the author of Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions, Crying for a Dream, American Indian Myths and Legends (co-authored with Alfonso Ortiz), Ojibwa Warrior (with Dennis Banks) and Lakota Woman (with Mary Crow Dog). Erdoes was 96.

Aurelius H. Piper, Sr. (Golden Hill Paugussett), hereditary tribal chief of the Connecticut tribe, which is recognized by the state but not the federal government, passed in early August on the tribe’s reservation in Trumbull. He was 92. He fought all his life for tribal rights and recognition, even taking his battle to Moscow as part of an international delegation.

Mary Golda Ross (Cherokee), the first woman engineer for, and a lifelong employee of, Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., passed in April. She was 99 years old. The great-great-granddaughter of Cherokee Chief John Ross was also a long-serving member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (see Nov./Dec. 2002 issue) and served on many boards and commissions.


Honoring

Rosita Worl, winner of the Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology

Among the many major award winners at the 2008 Santa Fe Indian Market were Sheldon Harvey (Navajo), who won Best of Show for his oil painting (as well as the Sculpture class award); Rebecca Begay (Navajo) in jewelry; Linda Tafoya-Sanchez (Santa Clara Pueblo) in pottery; Mona Laughing (Navajo) in textiles/basketry; Jamie Okuma (Shoshone-Bannock/Luiseño) in diverse arts; Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty (Assiniboine) in quillwork/beadwork; and Robert Albert (Hopi) in wooden Pueblo carving. Taking the youth award was Trent Lee (Navajo), while Marla Allison (Laguna Pueblo) took the new Innovation Award for her painting incorporating a video screen.

The lovely and talented throat singer Tanya Tagaq (Inuk) performed with the Grammy Award–winning Kronos Quartet in June. In the past she’s also collaborated with Icelandic sensation Björk.

Award-winning artists at the 16th annual Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market & Festival in Indianapolis included Benson Manygoats (Navajo), who took the Best of Show award for his stunning reversible necklace; Faye Lone (Seneca), who took the purchase prize for her large, detailed quilt; Amado Peña (Pascua Yaqui) in paintings/drawings/prints; Felix Vigil (Jicarilla) in sculpture; Glendora Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) in pottery; Stonehorse Goeman (Seneca) in basketry; TahNibaa Naataanii (Navajo) in weaving; Katrina Mitten (Miami) in cultural items; and Frank Sheridan (Cheyenne) in beadwork.

The terrific First Peoples’ Festival of Montréal, held annually in June, presented awards in its 2008 film competition to the following productions: Our Land, Our Life by George and Beth Gage, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle Trilogy by Kent Monkman and Gisèle Gordon, A Sister’s Love by Ivan Sen of Australia, Hope by Thomas Buchan and Stuart Reaugh, and Club Native by Tracey Deer.

Chester Kahn (Navajo) was selected as a Living Treasure by the 2008 Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial for his monumental series of murals portraying Navajo history at the Ellis Tanner Trading Company building in Gallup.

The Santa Fe–based School of Advanced Research has awarded its 2008 fellowships to Audra Simpson (Mohawk), assistant anthropology professor at Columbia University; and Cedar Sherbert (Kumeyaay), filmmaker and screenwriter.

A book by Joseph Marshall (Lakota), The Lakota Way, has been published in Israel in Hebrew by Maagan Michael Publishing. It is the second American Indian book ever published in Hebrew. The first, The Wind Is My Mother, by Marcellus Bear Heart Williams (Muskogee Creek), is in its second printing.

On July 17, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performed Jerod Tate’s (Choctaw) original work Shakamaxon for String Orchestra, which was originally commissioned and premiered by the Philadelphia Classical Symphony on May 9.

Last spring, six-year-old Delaney Tyon (Oglala Sioux) (see May/June 08 issue, p. 18), took the 2008 NASTAR National Ski Championship in his age category, a first step on his path to Olympic glory.

Rosita Worl (Tlingit), president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, has been presented the prestigious Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology given biannually by the American Anthropological Association.

The First Peoples Fund of Rapid City, South Dakota, has selected its Community Spirit Award recipients for 2008. Receiving awards were Frank Dominguez (Santa Inez Band of Chumash) for his work in mixed media and installation projects, Margaret Hill (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) for her birchbark and sweetgrass basketry, Marietta King (Blackfeet) for her oil and pastel painting, Jeanette “Molly” Parker (Passamaquoddy) for her ash and sweetgrass basketry, and Joseph Fire Crow (Northern Cheyenne) for his original flute compositions, and preservation of traditional social songs and stories.

Mary Sanipass and Donald Sanipass (Micmac), master basketmakers, have received honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Maine at Presque Isle.